Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Polley, the situation that we now find ourselves in is in fact a direct result of the previous government’s ineptitude. First they drove prices up by choking off the community sector. Working families were being crippled by childcare costs. Of course, from the opposition the view was expressed that we should not worry. They said: ‘Don’t worry; we’ll let extreme capitalism sort it out. We’ll entrust the care of Australian preschools to the property development industry.’ So they took the view that they should let the market rip. They removed the cap on taxpayer funded childcare places. And they did not have a workforce plan. They did not have a quality plan. They did not even have a plan to determine community needs. (Time expired)